Auto show is a new attraction at annual Lake Villa Celebration of Summer

It started in 2001 as part of Lake Villa’s monthly Centennial Year celebration with an evening of music at Lehmann Park on the banks of Cedar Lake in downtown Lake Villa, followed by an extraordinary fireworks display.

Inundated with phone calls to repeat the festivities each year, the Celebration of Summer has become an annual mainstay, with events scheduled this year Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8.

Festivities on Friday include Teen Night, in which Lake Villa Township students ages 11 to 15 can participate in free activities such as carnival games, inflatable pedestal joust, music and sports tournaments from 6 to 9 p.m.

New this year is an auto show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday that will include, but is not limited to, vintage, muscle and racing cars and motorcycles and antique tractors. Trophies will be awarded for Best in Show, Mayor’s Choice, Dealer’s Choice, Most Likely to Get a Ticket and Best Paint. Visitors also can see the Batmobile on display at this free event.

Other activities include a safety fair hosted by the Lake Villa Police Department, which will include a variety of police vehicles and a bike raffle. The free festival features food vendors, children’s activities, carnival games, an obstacle course, music and more.

Raffle tickets will be sold for a 2013 Yamaha Zuma 50F Scooter; 42-inch flat screen television; and two Mongoose 20-inch bicycles — boys Mode 90 and girls Fling 90.

Liberty’s Teeth returns this year to fill the park with rock, pop, country and dance music from current hits to disco classics. Saturday night’s entertainment is culminated by fireworks at 9:30 p.m., which draws thousands of guests.

For details, call (847) 356-6100 or visit www.lake-villa.org.